Kale Crunch Salad with Apple cider-Dijon Dressing

This healthy kale crunch salad is so easy and loaded with sweet apple slices, crunchy almonds, curly kale and crispy cabbage. Also features a tangy dijon-apple cider dressing that's made completely without oil. Perfect side salad and great for meal-prep.

I don't know about you, but I have never had the fierce obsession with kale that we have all seen in past years. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love kale, I just don't have a stronger enthusiasm for it compared to any other leafy greens.

But I have to say that no matter where you stand on kale, you will LOVE this kale crunch salad. It is an amazing feel-good salad perfectly in time for all the New Year's healthy eating resolutions. And it's not only good-for-you, but shockingly packed with flavors and filled with such an interesting combination of tender vs crunchy texture.

You will also enjoy the tangy sweet and savory apple cider-dijon vinaigrette that blends within the softened kale and crunchy almonds, plus the green apples add sweetness and more crunchiness too. Makes for such a great everyday winter salad that does not require much time to make.

And I just LOVE how kale don't turn into a soggy.sad.wilted salad within minutes of being in contact with the dressing. You can stir everything together and let it sit until ready to eat. No biggie.

What's to love about this recipe

• Easy and quick.
• Unlike other lettuce salads, this recipe can be made ahead and be included into your meal-prep routine.
• Has a nice crunch to it.
• Makes for a quick lunch or a tasty side dish for dinner.
• Very versatile and can be served as a full meal when adding extra high-in-protein ingredients.
• Super healthy and made without any oil.
• Also dairy-free, naturally gluten-free and fully vegan.

Ingredients you'll need & substitutions

For the salad

• Kale: I prefer curly kale when making salads.
• Green cabbage: can use shredded brussel sprouts or red cabbage for extra color. Radicchio would be a fun swap too.
• Almonds: use roasted and salted if you have them. Raw almonds work too, but you might want to roast them before adding to the salad for extra flavor and crunchiness.
• Green apple: other kind of apple works too, try to thinly slice them for better texture.
• Carrot: I recommend to shred them, can also buy them already prepared for convenience.

For the dressing

• Orange juice: I simply manually squeeze the juice out of a fresh orange, the flavor is better than store-bought and I always have oranges on hand anyway. I need about 1 small orange to get the ¼ cup required and I recommend you use Navel orange, they are sweeter and juicer. Can also use store-bought orange juice (no extra sugar) if you have some ready to go.
• Apple cider vinegar: staple for this dressing, try not to swap this ingredient. If don't have it, then you can use white wine vinegar, but start with less.
• Maple syrup: agave nectar works too (any liquid kind of sweetener actually).
• Shallot: they add a tasty zing to the dressing, can also use red onion. I believe yellow onion would be a little pungent, but will work if you can handle the stronger onion taste.
• Dijon mustard: another ingredient not to swap if possible. It adds lots of flavors and helps emulsify the oil-free dressing.

What kind of kale to use

I highly recommend you use CURLY KALE for this salad. It simply has a nicer texture compared to Lacinato kale for salads. I find that curly kale keeps well on its 'bouncy' and crunchy texture, which work better in salads, and is also a little more sweet.

Green curly or red curly kale both work well, although you might find the green kind a little easier.

You could also use baby kale leaves to make this salad, although it won't be as crunchy and might not keep as well after combined with the dressing. Also in this case, baby kale won't have to be massaged (yes, you will have to massage the kale!).

How to make it

Prepare the kale

Start by cleaning the kale carefully, the dirt tends to hide within the leaves, especially with curly kale. Then, pat dry the leaves so you don't add extra water to the salad.

Remove and discard the large stems from the kale. You can simply pull on the leaves using your hands or use a knife. Finally, chop in bite size. Kale is quite sturdy, so I tend to chop the leaves smaller than regular soft lettuce so it is more pleasant to eat. Transfer the kale in a large salad bowl and set aside.

Make the apple cider-dijon dressing

Combine all the dressing ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk well.

Massage the kale

Pour the dressing over the kale. I also recommend adding the green cabbage at this point. Then, using your hands or tongs, stir and 'massage' the kale to help soften it. I know it might be odd, but it does make a difference in the texture. Depending on how soft you want the leaves to be, keep massaging for 2-5 minutes. I usually use my hands just because I like to get my hands dirty in the kitchen, but also I feel that it just works better than using tongs.

Finish up the salad

Add the carrots, green apple and stir well. Taste and adjust the flavors, I usually end up adding a little more salt and some black pepper. I recommend to add the almonds when ready to eat so they keep on their crunch.

Also, you can eat the salad right away, but know that if you let it rest for a bit, the leaves will tenderize even more. I usually let it sit for about 30 minutes and stir in the almonds when ready to serve.

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Watch how to make it

Can I skip massaging the kale?

You can, but this will give you a salad with rougher leaves.

I prefer to massage the kale as it:

• Tenderizes and shrinks the leaves.
• Turns the leaves to a brighter green color.
• Removes some of the bitterness from the kale.

If you don't want to massage it, then I recommend you either use baby kale leaves or combine the salad (including the dressing) and let it sit for a few hours before eating.

Tips

• Storage: This is a great recipe for meal-prep. The salad is good in the fridge for up to 24 hours when combined with the dressing. OR, if you want to meal-prep it way ahead, then combine the whole salad ingredients except for the almonds and apple (they will turn brown) and keep the dressing apart in a jar until ready to eat.
• I think roasted almonds work better in this recipe, but honestly I often simply use raw almonds and it works well. It's just quicker and more convenient for me. You can buy already roasted and salted almonds or roast raw almonds in a non-stick pan on medium heat for a few minutes or until fragrant.
• The sliced green apple tends to brown when resting at ambient air. I find that the apple slices are not browning as much after in contact with the acidic dressing though. Simply slice the apple when ready to add to the salad opposed to slicing it ahead.
• Chop the kale in small bite sizes, it just easier and more pleasant to eat that way.

Serving suggestions

This recipe makes for an amazing side salad to pair with pasta or pizza. I especially love it with walnut pesto noodles, but also a great side to pair with vegan bagel bites.

Can also be turned into a full meal! In this case, top your salad with smoky tofu, lots of protein-rich seeds like hemp, more nuts, roasted miso tempeh, cubed avocado, a side of vegan dinner rolls, etc. Vegan TVP bacon bits would also add flavor and extra protein.

Since this salad can handle soaking in the dressing for a little bit, it makes for a good recipe to bring to BBQs and potlucks. Keep the almonds apart until ready to serve.

Feel free to top your salad with vegan almond parmesan cheese or balsamic pickled red onions and add some dried fruits such as dried cherries or cranberries too if you love sweet flavors in your salads.

FAQ's

Other salad recipes you might like

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• Vegan eggless salad
• Vegan watermelon mint salad with tofu feta
• Vegan chili-lime bean salad
• Vegan creamy dill chickpea salad
• Vegan green nourish bowl
• Thai carrot cucumber salad
• Rainbow salad bowl
• Red lentil pasta salad
• Dairy-free Waldorf salad
• Rice and quinoa Southwestern salad

I hope you like this kale crunch salad as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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